Attew, Yane, and Seewah...

The vocabulary of our two year old sounds sometihing like this...

Me: "C'mon ladies" as we're heading out of a store

Sara: "No, me Seewah!"

Me: "C'mon love" as we were heading out of another store

Sara: "No, me Seewah!"

She spends her days being brave and tossing around new words.  I spend my days reveling in this stage of her life.  It is truly one I'd like to keep for just a bit longer. 

And during the times I can't quite interpret?  Why, I call on big sister of course.  She comes running with such pride and tends to her younger sibling with a huge smile on her face knowing she holds the only key to unlocking the mystery of a new word.  That too, is also a stage I'd like to keep just a bit longer.

Attew (Matthew), Yane (Jane) Seewah (Sara)

How I love the look and sound of these three names!

A visit from the fairy...

Last night marked a first in the Gunn household!  Matthew lost his first tooth. 

It's a big deal because we have realized that many of his other friends have lost teeth and he's been wondering when he would lose teeth too.  "Soon, I guess" was always my reply.  I'd never thought much about it until the dentist mentioned it last spring at his check-up.  She was surprised he hadn't lost any yet, but each in their own time I guess.  What caught me more off guard was that he was due to get his 6yr. molars.  What?  What the heck are 6yr. molars?  Never heard of such a thing.  Do you remember reading this little fact in the scads of books you read about babies when your first child was born?  Me neither. 

Apparantly, they are the molars that are permanent and sure enough, when I went home to look for myself, I saw a few of them peeking through.  As if he were a small child getting teeth for the first time I jumped up and down and squeeled like a brand new mom.  "You're getting your big teeth Matthew!"

I'm pretty sure at that point he reminded me he was in the first grade, but oh well.

Either way it was a thrill to be there for this new milestone.  He'd been wiggling it all evening while we were at the park and then with great gusto exclaimed that it was bleeding as we were heading home.  I wondered if I had change on hand.  I guess from now on I better just keep a little jar of it for such occasions.

It came out shortly after we got home and with great pride he pranced around the house showing everyone. 

And thus, my friends, began the visits from the toothfairy.  He was pleased as punch to see four quarters and a little note under his pillow this morning.

And today, I find myself still getting used to the view.

She's such a love...

The U.H.O. and S.P.Y. Labs...

Our kids have been into pretend spying for quite some time now but it wasn't until just recently that they stepped up their game.

You can take the fort away from the kids but you can't take the kids away from the fort...or something like that. 

You may remember my mention of our little family making our basement a temporary home this summer.  The kids love sleeping down there and it's anything but just a kid in a bed.  At the very least, it's a kid in a sleeping bag, in a bed.  But usually, it's a kid in some elaborate fort, in a sleeping bag, in a bed.

So, in preporation for the upcoming school year, we spent last Saturday cleaning up and picking up.  It took awhile as the kids had hauled down quite a bit of stuff over the course of the last few months.  We had declared the basement clean and ready to be played in...not slept in.

I've enjoyed having my family back upstairs with me at night (you might remember that I'm not so much a basement gal), but over the course of this week, guess what the basement has turned into?

S.P.Y. Labs (superplanningyouthlabs) formerly known as The U.H.O. (undergroundhideout)

Matthew being the super spy that he is comes up with these acronymns and we just go with it.  So, at this very moment, the kids are all upstairs in their beds (although Sara is in the top bunk with Matthew...we'll see how that goes) but the basement?  Well, it's anything but the neat and organized effort from last Saturday! 

It's now the home of S.P.Y. Labs; where the kids have rigged up blankets, pillows, mattresses and more to create something super secret for themselves.  They've even reached a pinnacle moment in the course of every childhood. 

The secret language. 

Oh gosh, I had a good laugh when I heard this bit going on.  Didn't you ever have one of these as a kid?  Or at the very least a secret code or something that you wrote in?  My sister and I had a secret code that we wrote in but it took forever to use it so it didn't last long.

These two big kids are at such a funny stage together right now.  Their playfullness is bringing back some fond memories of our time in Maryland.  Back then, they were great friends.  In the past 2 1/2yrs. I haven't seen much of that friendship per se...

I'm glad I've been seeing it pop in the last few days...

Mini Masterpieces...

Can you guess what we did today?

Yep.  Pretty much.

Full...

This is a great word to sum up our summer thus far.  We've had our share of visitors and I am always so greatful when friends and family come to visit us.  We of course had my mom and Chas. come in June and then just last week several weeks ago now as I started writing this post earlier this month! we  were very blessed to spend time with two families that are very dear to us.

On a side note, this is Sara at the park yesterday.  She's wearing a new dress and shorts and socks and a coat if I'd let her.  She's into the layers these days which crack me up.

But anyway...

The first were friends from California.  The four of us all went to undergrad. together in WA, she was my college roomate, maid of honor at my wedding, and close friend ever since.  They have two kids about the same ages as two of our kids and the week they were here it was  HOT!, HOT!, HOT!  We spent a lot of time outside in the water and generally just having a good time.  Sara was my partner in crime in college and we hold dear some very special (and crazy) memories from that time.  So glad to get a chance to reconnect with her family.

Later that same week we also enjoyed the company of friends who live in Maryland.  Jim and I spent 4 1/2yrs. there before we moved back to the midwest and the move away from MD was one of the hardest things I've done to date.  We left behind some very special friendships so to hear that this family was coming to visit was a real treat.  Patsy and I took a lot of adventures with our kids when they were young.  Up to D.C. a lot to take advantage of the museums, riding the train, and then exploring locally around us as well.  We've logged a lot of time in her van and I was more than thrilled to see it pull into our driveway with her husband and now 7 year old son.  Weren't our boys just two the other day???

So I guess being in the middle does have its advantages.  Well, and knowing people on each coast who are willing to road trip in the summers!  Thanks to you both for stopping by for a few days.

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On another note, this is what our deck looks like just about every afternoon/evening.  Strewn in towels and/or swimsuits.  We are loving our little kiddie pool on the back deck and who knew the kids would end up enjoying it as much as they have?  We've had it for a few years and use it every summer but this is the first time they've played for more than just a few minutes at a time in it.  Thanks to our CA friends who ran out and got goggles for everyone, they now put their heads in and our oldest now SEVEN (we had b-days last weekend) is really taking to the water.

Here is Matthew earlier this week at swim lessons.  This is his first go at a sport or activity of some sort and it's amazing to see his confidence and independence soar.  He's loving it.

C'mon now, look at this kid!  Just this summer he's started to get that long and lean look.  I'm loving it!

Last weekend the big kids turned FIVE and SEVEN.  I'm on board with Matthew being seven.  But five is such a big age for Ella Jane.  She starts Kindergarten in the fall and to see her beginning to print is a whole new world for us.  I can't wait to see what she does with these new skills.

Well, to wrap it up; in a nutshell, it's been a very full summer.  We've had a lot of fun with camps and lessons and family and friends.  I've also (and I think the kids have too) loved having themes to our weeks.  It gives  a bit of focus to the day and some learning time too.  Next week is all about the Art Museum, artists and styles of painting.

As Promised...

pictures I eluded to a couple of posts back.  A few weekends ago I had the opportunity to spend the day learning new (to me) outdoor skills.  Like shooting a bow and arrow.  Firing off a pistol.  Shooting a shotgun.  Trapshooting.  Fly fishing.

Have you ever done any of these things?  Neither had I until a few weekends ago.  And what FUN I had learning something new and challenging.

By the way I had bruises from the kickback and a sore arm the next day from all my hard work!  I hit a bullseye and a jug of water 50yrds. out.  So proud.

Success with the bow and arrow.

During the month of June the kids and I ran in a local race.  The first ever for them and I was excited for their experience.  We picked up our packets together and made sure everything was ready to go for the morning.  Here is Ella Jane decorating her race shirt because when I ran my marathon I remember bystanders cheering on a few girls ahead of me by name (they had their name on their shirts) and I thought, mmm....I could sure use a shout out right now too.

Sooooo, I had Ella Jane put her name on her shirt.  That way everyone would know who she was and cheer her on.  Well, turns out her number covered most of her shirt but it's the effort that counts.

We ran our races, the kids and I.  Did I mention it was pouring down rain?  Yep, started raining as we pulled up to the starting line.  Kids ran in the early downpour (and mostly had fun doing it...it was a mile) and my race was postponed 45min. becuase of the incoming storm.

Long story short, we all; my mom and stepdad included because they ran the kids race with Matthew and Ella Jane got d.r.e.n.c.h.e.d.  And if we were in Seattle we'd be chilled to the bone.  But the nice thing about midwestern thunderstorms is that it's usually pretty humid and the rain is warm and refreshing.  So, as soaking wet as I was I wasn't too miserable.  (but the kids were because even after their race was over they had to wait until mine started which means they got really wet too.) 

Highlight?  Ella Jane got her very determined little runner self pictured in the paper.  Very cute if I do say so myself.

And last but certainly not least, Matthew.  I mentioned sometime back that he was in a summer camp and that one of his classes was about rocketry.  Here he is with his very own rocket that actually got shot up into the air.  He was so excited.  "Mom, take pictures!!!"

I couldn't say no to that.  I love the one of him running to get his rocket after it landed.

And that my friends is what happened to us a few weeks back.  So much more to share about our current week and 4th of July.  All in time I suppose.

The House That Jim Built...

Jim was off for the 4th of July weekend and this is what he did...

That's a campfire by the way (in that little circle)

He made three differnt types of these Lincoln Log houses over the course of the four day weekend and he even let the kids get in on it too...

(I love that above photo)

And those were the houses that Jim built.